Hatchette Books

Book Review: Orbison Book Is More Than Just Pretty Paper

Posted on by lancelumley

” Roy Orbison:The Authorized Biography” (Center Street Publishing, 2017 ) by Roy Orbison Jr., Wesley and Alex Orbison, with Jeff Slate is a wonderful in depth collection of one of the greatest singers of all time.

The book is filled with photographs of Roy Orbison, his friends, and record covers, along with capturing the life of one of the early Rock Music pioneers. The book takes the reader through the early days of his life, when Orbison was influenced by musician Lefty Frizzell, his high school bands, and the day he discovered Rock Music by listening to Elvis Presley. Orbison’s story journeys through his heartbreaks, from his struggles with his record labels (where one label released older material of his when he was on a newer label to cash in on his success), to taking management to court, and his personal heartbreaks with the death of his first wife and kids.

This coffee table book is filled with beautiful glossy pages with photographs of his performances, some famous friends he met on the way (The Beatles, Johnny Cash), and album/single covers, and promotional events. The photographs are wonderfully put in order of the timeline of the story, which adds to the collection.

The authors add great stories in the book within the telling of the biography, like when Johnny Cash told a young Orbison that he should lower his voice if Roy wanted to make it in the music business (which his signature voice later was one of a kind and separated him from other acts), to Sun Records Owner Sam Phillips told Roy, after Orbison called him for a record deal via the advice of Presley, responded by hanging up on Orbison and told him that he (Phillips) ran the label, not Elvis. For fans of the later years of Orbison, the tale of him joining the super group The Traveling Wilburys with Tom Petty, Jeff Lynn, George Harrison, and Bob Dylan is definitely worth the read alone (along with the story of how the band name and first single “Handle With Care” came about). There is also the story about how his smash hit “Pretty Woman” was created. The book follows how Roy’s Cinemax black and white concert in 1986 led to his major comeback in the U.S.

This book is a perfect mix of photographs and text, which is not seen in many Rock Music coffee table style books. They usually carry more photographs and little to no text, however there is a great balance of the two in the 252 page volume, along with a nice discography, with the record release dates and the label included in it.

“Roy Orbison” is not just a nice picture book, but one that has great stories as told ,and put together, by his family members. The text covers the story of Roy’s life from his early beginnings to his rise to stardom, and his return right before his death. The authors state that they put the book together so Roy’s story could be told, and to “put the record straight.” This is not just a book for Roy Orbison fans, but for fans of the history of Rock and Roll. The authors of this collection have compiled a wonderful tribute to a Hall of Famer, and one of the greatest singer in music history. There is so much to learn in this book that it should be a required use in any Rock and Roll History class.

 

 

“The Authorized Roy Orbison” by Roy Orbison Jr., Wesley and Alex Orbison with Jeff Slate is available by Center Street Publishing, an imprint of Hatchette Books (ISBN: 9781478976547). Visit Hatchette Books at: http://www.hatchettebookgroup.com.

 

Thank you to Hatchette Books and Center Street Publishing for the reading copy of this book.

Book Review: “Sisters First” is First Rate

Posted on by lancelumley

“Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life ” by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush (Grand Central Publishing 2017) is an entertaining and pleasant read, regardless if the reader has a sibling or not.

The 236 page book takes the reader through the lives of the former First Daughters, from when their grandfather and father journeyed into politics, to their current lives with Jenna being a correspondent for NBC’s “Today” Show, and Barbara’s work with her charity foundation, Global Health Corps. The book is split into each of the authors writing separate sections in each chapter, along with each writing a chapter by themselves, for instance, Jenna will discuss politics in the first part of the chapter, while Barbara’s view is in the second part. The book is wonderfully split, so you know which girl’s thoughts the reader is viewing.

The great thing about the book is that even though the girls have lived in the public eye most of their lives, and had media publicity the whole time, the book is not all about politics. The main theme is about family, and how each sister has been there for each other, even when they were separated during their college years, along with working on other ventures in their lives on opposite parts of the world. They discuss topics like Barbara being with her sister during the birth of Jenna’s one daughter (while Jenna’s husband thought they were pulling a joke on him when they called to tell him Jenna was in labor), to protecting each other when they were younger from the “ghosts” in the White House, along with how they learned  to lean on each other growing up in a political family being scrutinized by the media.

The sisters write some heartwarming stories about their family (the book is a family affair, with Former First Lady Laura Bush writing the book’s forward section), like when Jenna describes her Grandfather Welch patiently stopping the car while driving to retrieve the box of Kleenex he kept on the car’s dashboard every time Jenna tossed it out of the car window, to when her father was told by the elder Barbara Bush to get his feet off of her coffee table, regardless if he was the President of the United States. Barbara tells a funny story about when she and friends went to see a World Wrestling Federation event in New York and ended up losing the secret service, due to a situation involving an EZ Pass problem.

The book is not all lighthearted, and takes the readers through their experiences during the 9-11 attacks, the way the press handled their family’s political careers (how the media to other friends and schoolmates treated them), along with giving insights on how family members dealt with situations when they were in the White House and on the campaign trail. The sisters discuss the media coverage that they endured when they were young and thought the press was not around them, only to find out that they were there snapping photographs of them. Barbara even tells a story about a Yale Professor offering to change her grade if she would call her father, who was president at the time, and convince him not to go to war with Iraq.

Jenna talks about how she met her husband, Henry Hager, and how he courted her, including a humorous story about him going on a mountain bike adventure with Jenna’s father, President George Bush. Barbara also opens up about her past dating life, including her dealing with critics wondering why she is not married yet and why devotes her time to her charity projects.

Jenna Bush Hagar and Barbara Pierce Bush.

This book is not a typical tell-all memoir, but a book that celebrates two sisters and the exploration of finding who they are throughout a life of constant exposure. It takes the reader through the maturity and honesty of some of the mistakes they made, as they look back on events as mature women discussing their childhood.

Regardless of the political stance someone may have about the Bush Family, this book is wonderfully written (like Jenna’s other books) and gives an insight of who Barbara is, who sometimes was seen as the other lesser known sister, although both are compassionate, and full of opinions and causes that they believe strongly about. This book is filled with emotional stories that celebrate family, with some political stories involved, and is an awe-inspiring story of the maturity of two woman who have overcome media scrutiny to become a leader of a charity organization, and a media personality with stories that inspire, respectively. Even if the reader does not have a sister (or any siblings), this writing will inspire, along with entertain the reader, regardless of the reader’s political stance.

 

 

(A Huge Special Thanks to Hatchette Books and Grand Central Publishing for the Advanced Reading Copy to review)

 

 

“Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life” by Jenna Bush Hagar and Barbara Pierce Bush (Grand Central Publishing, 2017 ISBN 978-1-5387-1141-5) can be found at bookstores and at http://www.hatchettebookgroup.com. It is also available in downloadable and e-book (978-1-5387-1143-9) formats. Also visit http://www.Sistersfirst.com for more information.